FEEDING GER SASSER -Crossfit/ GRID Athletes like Ger Sasser need big fuel and people were always asking me what I feed Ger, my son. (5 time Crossfit Regionals athlete, San Francisco Fire GRID athlete, and owner/trainer of CROSSFIT COUNTDOWN, along with his wife, Cassie) I love to come up with delicious, simple, mostly paleo diet meal plans and share them, so others can have success in the kitchen. These easy Crossfit diet meal plan recipes can make a big difference in your performance.

Friday, July 31, 2015

You need to eat nuts, but not too many nuts. It's easy to eat too many since they are so good. This new Paleo Cherry Crunch recipe blends several different nuts in with big dried cherries for their anti-infammatory properties, along with unsweetened coconut, cinnamon, coconut oil, and a little honey. I think you will love this one. Read the recipe here

Thursday, July 30, 2015

If you are afraid to try a meal prep session maybe you should invite a friend over and do it together. You have four hands instead of two for all the chopping and stirring. You can split all the food between the two of you. You can learn from each other and have a great time doing it. The time will fly by.

Paleo diet meal plans for Crossfit athletes or any other types of athletes can be a great way to increase your good food choices. Planning ahead is not that hard. It's food, not rocket science, so relax and have some fun with meal prep! Click here for 5 Tips for a Successful Meal Prep Session

Monday, July 27, 2015

This very simple recipe is one you can find many uses for. These avocado slices rolled in hemp seeds will compliment and increase the nutritional value of so many meals. Have you Googled the benefits of hemp seeds? No wonder they list it as a superfood. Maybe you already throw it into your smoothies - that's what mine was for.

You see, my sister gave me a birthday present that was themed (I love when she does that!) for Things for Your Vitamix Smoothies. There were cups and rounded lids and colorful straws. There were hemp seeds and figs, and all manner of other wonderful ingredients.

These hemp seeds aren't just for smoothies now! They look beautiful along the edges of avocado slices, don't they?

Hemp seeds boast a perfect balance of essential amino acids for good health, tons of protein, and boost the immune system. That's worth checking out this simple recipe, right?

Pork Chop perfection - that sounds like something you want to accomplish in the kitchen, right? This recipe gives you that. The broiler makes it quick and easy and the sauce is easy and keeps the pork chops moist and tender. This is a great meal prep recipe. Just make some Paleo Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Bacon and some Paleo Roasted Broccoli (or Cauliflower) and then portion everything out into containers. Maybe share with a friend! Here's the Paleo Pineapple BBQ Sauce Pork Chops Recipe Revisit: Read more

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Wash those beet greens. Throw in some other greens if you like, like spinach or kale. Add a little bacon grease and you'll have a side dish that's packed full of vitamin A, K, C. calcium, and a little iron. These dark, leafy beet greens are great for your health. They can also be juiced or thrown into soup stock. So, don't throw them away. Check out this great paleo diet recipe for Wilted Beet Greens: Read more

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Goji berries can seem hard and not worth eating to some people but they are such an antioxidant-filled superfood that you should work on finding ways to put them into your meal plans. They are dried and chewy and a little sweet with an herb aftertaste.

You could make up a batch of Goji Berry Breakfast Bars and bag them up as part of your Crossfit diet meal plan when you do a prep day. They are good for breakfast or a snack on the go.

If you don't have time for that just soak some goji berries in hot water and then put this Chicken Goji Pear Salad together. Here's the recipe: Read more

If you don't have a dutch oven, you may want to borrow one just for this recipe. The aromas in your house will convince you to go buy one, and maybe to cook Feeding Ger Sasser recipes more often, too. Paleo chicken recipes like this one are a mainstay to your weekly meal prep. This chicken is tender and so flavorful. Fuel up. It's all about the food. Check out the Stout Chicken in a Dutch Oven recipe here: Read more

The best Paleo side dishes, like this Sautéed Red Cabbage and Vegetables, should be easy, delicious, and pack a big nutritional punch. Versatility is also a great way to liven up your meal plan. Check out how this colorful Feeding Ger Sasser recipe completely fits the bill. Read more

These little babies are very special: Prosciutto Wrapped Peaches Pear and Figs. They look like you went to a lot of trouble but they are EASY. The combination of sweet and savory... I guarantee you can be successful! For the recipe: Read more.

Friday, July 24, 2015

Ger and Cassie's first year wedding anniversary is days away. When I think back to that day there are so many awesome memories filled with love and family and friends. This photo shows me and all my kids AND my mom. She is having a bad spell of gout right now and it just makes me think about how important your food intake actually is. (I hate it when she is hurting)

If we ALL only had the discipline that Ger has we'd all be healthier and stronger. So, here's another Recipe Revisit of orange roughy in almond flour that will keep you healthy, taste great, and not take much time to make. Fish Fillets with Almond Meal and Coconut Oil: Read more

This Oyster Mushroom Blend is a skillet full of so many nutrients and it has a great time-saving trick. Do you see that container of Kale Salad? It has kale, carrots, and purple cabbage. Sure, you could eat it as a salad but you can also COOK it in this skillet recipe and you don't have to wash and chop all those things up. When you tell me you need quick and easy ideas, I've got your back. So, get some more mushrooms into your life, throw in a diced pepper, and check out this great paleo recipe for busy crossfit athletes right here: Read more

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Last night 45 great humans gathered at the Ironton Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the GRID match between the San Francisco Fire and the Phoenix Rise on NBC Sports. It was fun to watch Ger Sasser, #36, watch the match, and to eat so many wings! #grid #firedup

I've got 2 more Tuesday night Family dinners to plan and prep before his second season with the Fire. We'd had Bacon Wrapped Sea Scallops last week and I was texting with Ger to see if he had any requests. His answer was "don't eat enough fishes" so I suggested crab legs or a big slab of salmon. Use the search box here if you want to see all the salmon recipes at once. And, check out this easy way to prepare crab legs at home because we are all athletes and we don't eat enough fish. Lemongrass Crab Legs

Four different kinds of potatoes, when roasted, give you more nutrients and an interesting flavor profile. This recipe also gives you an easy way to have a side dish that's just perfect for putting into containers alongside a protein when you are doing some meal prep for your busy week. Read more

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

I like cooked radishes much better than thrown in a salad. Once I started throwing them into stir-fry or just sautéing them in butter I kept reading about how trendy this was. I hope you give them a try, whether you like them or not. Peeling them gives you less of that peppery bite. So does cooking them. You might be surprised just how good they can be!

Nutritionally, they are a powerhouse in the cruciferous family and carry all those cancer-protection nutrients. Seriously, check them out. Buttered Radishes Red Pepper and Kale: Read more

A couple of my favorite athlete/beasts are coming over for dinner tonight and I've got an awesome Crossfit diet meal planned. We're having Slow Cooker Pot Roast Meal, Bacon Wrapped Sea Scallops, and a big skillet full of red cabbage and apples from the farmer's market this morning. We all know about the cancer-preventative wonders of cabbage, right? Red cabbage goes one step further with its added nutritional benefits so sauté up this great side dish for your health. Read more

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Ger and Cassie - aren't they just the cutest? Their 1-year wedding anniversary is August 2 and he heads out for the second season with the San Francisco Fire team on August 9. This means I have three Tuesday Family night dinners before that. This Tuesday will be a sort of a surf and turf, since I just picked up some grass fed rump roast at Whole Foods and I'll also have Bacon Wrapped Sea Scallops. Have you made them? They are so awesome. Check them out here: Read more

Thursday, July 16, 2015

What if you ate all the fresh vegetables in your kitchen? You still need a side dish ASAP. Do you have a can of pumpkin? Some bacon? Coconut flour? You're good to go. This recipe really comes in handy. Read more

This recipe revisit from Feb 9, 2013 is for when you get tired of making turkey burgers plain. We know you are busy and turkey burgers are fast and easy but they don't always have to be just heated up the same old way. This is an easy way to sauce them up. Give it a try!

... you are going to be glad you made this. Ger Sasser flies out to the San Francisco Fire team on August 9th. That leaves me three Tuesday night family dinners before then and THIS dessert is coming up next. (It's Paleo Ginger Peach Cobbler)

These paleo macaroons with fresh lemon juice are easy to mix up and pop into the oven. Then you have time to throw something into the skillet for dinner, or make a big salad. Meal prep can be so easy if you just plan ahead. If you need a little one-on-one meal prep coaching and motivation, reach out to me on social media - my contacts are on the "ABOUT" page. Also, check out these lemon macaroons Read more

When you meal prep, try something different now and then. You don't want to get stuck in a rut and get bored. Mushrooms are worth finding a favorite. Many mushrooms in your athlete diet meal plan will give you many different nutrients and keep your immune system running in high gear. So, check out Paleo Shiitake Mushrooms. Read more

This Recipe Revisit from July 28, 2012 is about pan-frying fish in macadamia nut oil, which has good fats, antioxidants, and a great flavor. The recipe is called Ger's Talapia, but if you want to substitute any other fish, please go for it. We aren't big tilapia fans anymore after reading about it being a bottom-feeder and that there are other, cleaner fish to eat. Read more

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

You just really should make these. They are so flavorful. I love eggs, don't you? I've been asking people lately if they could just eat one food for the rest of their lives, what would they choose? Bacon? Eggs? Tomatoes? It's a tough question but making this recipe is the right choice. Read more

Why should we drink bone broth? Our grandmothers were right about this one and then people got it wrong... by wanting convenience - boneless chicken, boneless pork chops, and on and on. Bone broth is known to boost athletic performance, joint function, promote stronger bones and ligaments, AND boost our immune systems. I also think it makes us look and feel younger and stronger. Some of it tastes odd and it takes a long time to make but there are ways around that! Read more

Almonds with a light coating of cocoa and honey, slowly roasted in your oven, cooled off and broken up into chunks... can you just imagine that scent in your kitchen? Can you imagine grabbing a bag of them as you hurry out the door? Planning is key and this Recipe Revisit from July, 2012 is so easy!

This macaroon recipe is worth the trouble, and it's no trouble at all. We all need a treat now and then. This one has no sugar, just a little honey and a few dark chocolate chips, if you want. It has no preservatives, of course, just healthy nutrients. You'll want to eat them warm and gooey. Here's the Recipe Revisit from July 29, 2012 - Read more

Monday, July 13, 2015

You can eat a great salad at Fat Patty's but when you make it at home, you know exactly the quality of every ingredient. That can make a big difference when it comes to making choices for your health and sports performance. Take a look at the July 31, 2012 Recipe Revisit. Cobb Salad

I've been throwing beet greens away, or composting them for years, but no more! (Sorry, bunnies...) Now they are a great part of getting some green nutrients into us and not wasting them. Click here to see how easy this is with a little bacon grease. Read more

Check out this recipe if you are looking for a one-dish way to put a great dinner on the table. Organic chicken breasts under marinara sauce sit atop a delicious concoction of spinach, mushrooms, spaghetti squash and ricotta cheese. Get your grocery list ready and click here for the recipe - Read more

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Pumpkin Kombucha

I love making kombucha. If you don’t make your own yet, please read my post here for tips to get started: Kombucha – Make It Yourself. If you are local, let me know if you want a scoby to start with. I have a long family-tree.

I’m always making different flavor combinations when I bottle kombucha. I have many favorites but still longed for a pumpkin pie spice flavor. I’ve been developing this and I just love it! If you love pumpkin, you will, too. I thought about waiting until fall to post this recipe, but I just couldn’t wait. Pumpkin should not only be celebrated in one season! (It's fast becoming a family favorite)

So, when your next gallon of kombucha is ready to be bottled you could try it this way:

I’d already made a batch of tea with 7 organic black tea bags and 1 cup of sugar and let it cool.

With clean hands, I carefully took out the scoby and laid him aside on a clean plate. (He looks good)

I gave the kombucha a gentle stir with a wooden spoon and poured off 1 cup to go in the new batch.

I added the following ingredients into the gallon jar:

3 TBSP organic pumpkin

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp ginger (you can put a matchstick-sized piece of fresh peeled ginger in each bottle instead if you prefer)

I GENTLY stirred this up until the pumpkin mixed in.

I filled 6 bottles, leaving a little breathing room at the top of each, and capping tightly. They went into a cooler for 48 hours and then into the fridge. Deliciously different.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

I hope you are giving fresh cherries the attention that they deserve. I've read that cherries:

1. Ease pain (like from arthritis, gout, and WEIGHT-LIFTING)2. Are full of vitamins3. Lower blood pressure4. Fight cancer5. help you SLEEPHere's what I did:I measured 2 cups of pitted fresh cherries and 2 cups dried wild blueberries and put them into a 8 x 8 square baking dish.

In a bowl, I stirred up the following ingredients with a fork:

1/3 cup local honey (if you use raw honey, you might want to warm it a bit so it will mix better)2/3 cup unblanched almond flour (but blanched would be fine)1/4 cup coconut flour1 cup organic coconut milk from a can1 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp sea salt1/2 tsp vanilla1 large eggI put this mixture on top of the fruit. In a small glass dish I melted 4 TBSP pasture butter (Kerry Gold, from grass fed cows) and then poured it over the top of the cobbler. See?

I used a cookie scoop and placed the cookies on a baking sheet rubbed with a little coconut oil.I baked them in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes.

“TIME!”

This recipe made 18 chewy Pumpkin Banana Goji Cookies. Sometimes I crave something with a little old-fashioned oats in it. Oats don’t spike your insulin, so now and then, it’s not going to be a big deal. These cookies are so healthy and so fast!

Ger Sasser is fast, too. I love this #sanfranfire from earlier today:

You can watch a repeat of the San Francisco Fire's GRID match against the Phoenix Rise on NBCSports on July 22, 2015 at 6:30 pm.

I'm not a fan of rubbery purple eggplant but when I saw this Graffiti eggplant at the market, it looked….interesting.

So, I bought two and became a fan.

Here’s how:

I washed and cut the ends off one pound of fresh green beans.

I sliced two graffiti eggplants.I put them on a big cookie pan and added 1 TBSP coconut oil. I rubbed them with my hands and spread them out.I sprinkled them with hickory smoked sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and minced garlic. That’s it.I put them into a 450 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Don't eat the same thing all the time - you'll get bored. Branch out and get some different nutrients into the mix.

Friday, July 3, 2015

I love to cook. Did you know that about me? I love recipe development. I love trying things out on Ger and Cassie when they come over. Before Ger headed out for the first part of season 2 with the NPGL San Francisco Fire I came up with this. It was just awesome.

Next, I cut 2 pork tenderloins into halves, making 4 pieces. (This recipe can easily be halved – just do one pork tenderloin)

I placed the meat into the Ziplock bag, closed it, and squished and turned the bag over to coat the meat completely.

I let this marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature, turning and squishing often. (This can be done up to a day before and placed in the fridge)

I heated up my grill pan over medium heat and then poured the tenderloins and all the marinade out into the grill pan.

I cooked the tenderloin, turning frequently and getting all four sides, until done. It took just over 20 minutes total, and was just a teeny bit pink in the center. (It should be 145 degrees if you use a meat thermometer, but I never do)

I let it rest 10 minutes on the platter before cutting into thin slices.

Seriously, this isn’t difficult and it really is just awesome. So, impress someone soon!

Thursday, July 2, 2015

When Jack and I were in Key West recently we had a great beet appetizer at Latitudes on Sunset Key. That was my inspiration for this recipe. I made it this week when all the kids came over for dinner.

Beets have big nutritional value - A recent Dutch study shows that they have a compound that reduces the amount of oxygen your muscles need. Olympians drink beet juice. Beets are trending, and for good reason. I hope you branch out and try these!

I washed 6 organic beets and cut off the leaves, leaving about an inch of the stems, and set the leaves aside to sauté later. I cut off the root part on the bottom end also. I cut the biggest two beets in half so they would all be done at the same time.

I rubbed coconut oil on the bottom of a 9 x 12 cake pan and placed the beets in there and rubbed them coconut oil. I placed a piece of foil on top of them and sealed it around the edges.

I put them into a 350 degree oven for 60 minutes. I pierced one with a fork to see if they were soft.

I took them out and let them cool off for a little while. Then I peeled them. (The peel will slide right off with your hands) I sliced them up, added sea salt and black pepper, and poured a little balsamic vinaigrette on them - Flying Olive's Black Cherry Balsamic Vinegar gives them an interesting kick! I served them with slices of goat cheese. Everyone loved them. Leftovers are great hot or cold. They're also excellent diced up and thrown into a salad. So, fuel up, athletes, and let me know how beets are increasing your performance.